Welcome to the 1st blog for Access World Travel and my 1st ever blog writing experience, I have to admit it is a little bit scary and I’m not quite sure where to start or what to write about!! So in the words of Miranda Hart please “Bare With” and hopefully you will continue to read without drifting off into a coma.

Well I suppose a good place to start would be to introduce myself and explain how Access World Travel came about. My name is Cheryl, I am 35 years old (although I like to try forget I’m aging from time to time) and I own this travel agency, which I started up in December 2010.

I got into travel completely by accident almost 13 years ago, I had studied computers at college and university and travel was something I hadn’t really considered. After leaving university and looking for work a family member advised me that their relatives had opened up an agency and were looking for temporary staff to help out with phones. I went a long to meet them and turned up to a chaotic office with phone lines stretched across desks while everyone was answering each other’s phones and non-stop ringing – I answered my first call that day with not a clue what I was doing and as the saying goes I’ve never looked back.

That was my first day of my 5 years with Macmillan Travel (Flyawaydeals), I worked in Administration/Customer Services for 4 years before reluctantly moving into sales. I have to say starting in this role is the best way to start in travel as it makes you learn all aspects of travel throughout the booking process. I still had to learn all of the systems, airport and airline codes for amendments, etc but I think the most important thing I learnt is that once the sale has been made the booking process has only just started and this part is just as important if not more.

When things changed with the business and I eventually moved into sales the last year before the business closed I did so thinking I was going to completely hate it, but thought I had to at least give it a go. It was an adjustment, although I had done a few sales before, it was a new challenge I suppose and it did take me a while to take to it completely. But once I started it made me start to think about starting up my own business and this is when I bought my website accessworldtravel.co.uk.

When the business came to a close in 2007 it was a sad time for everyone, although we all parted ways and continued on in travel but in different areas we all mostly stayed in touch and still today we get together for the occasion night out to catch up.

Looking back I wish I had had the confidence to start up on my own then, it would have been so much easier (no recession lol), but then I wouldn’t have some of the friends and experience I have today without continuing and going to work for Travel Sanctuary.

I have some of the fondest memories and had some fantastic times, amazing opportunities and experiences with my work colleagues and friends. The chance to visit so many places and I’ve met, worked and built long-lasting friendships with some lovely people over the years, sharing laughter in the good times and tears through the bad.

When Travel Sanctuary closed its doors in 2010 after a tough year, I did consider calling it a day with travel I found it hard to find a reason to love travel anymore and it took me a while to think about what I wanted to do going forward. But I think travel is a hard industry to escape from, some people choose travel and sometimes it chooses you and once it’s sucked you in its very hard to escape! I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do with my life and decided it was now or never – it was time to take the bull by the horns and start up on my own.

The concept behind me starting the business was to help people like myself with a disability find a suitable holiday by building up a catalogue of suitable properties and resorts. Working in travel and having the opportunity to visit different places you realise how difficult it can be to book a holiday if you have any additional requirements. Especially as you get older you find your requirements increase. A lot of places are just not suitable with limited access and you find not everyone understand this. Things in travel have improved with regards to this over the years but it is still difficult to find and book something that ticks all the boxes without help and there is not enough information out there.

Working on both sides of the equation has helped me so much with my own business as I knew what to expect, maybe it’s the control freak in me or OCD but I like to see my customer’s bookings through from start to finish and know that they can come to me with any issues instead of being passed from one person to the next. I like the challenge (and sometimes it is) of helping people get their dream holiday.

I am not going to lie the first year of starting the business was one of my hardest, I struggled to get any advertising set up along the channels I previously used, so it was a bit of a nightmare and for a time it was a bit hit and miss but thankfully I am happy to say I am still here! I still have a long way to go but the future is looking bright with many opportunities ahead.

My biggest goal for the future is to hopefully one day be in a position tp be able to go out and visit properties and resorts in the future to check their accessibility for myself and/or give advice to hoteliers on suitability, etc. 

So I would like to finish by saying thank you to all my family and friends for their continued love and support, and my customers for their loyalty and friendship it means so much to me – I couldn’t do this job without you ❤